


what else is there

by jasminetea



Category: Swan Princess (1994), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Arranged Marriage, Charles Always Says the Absolute Worst Thing He Could Possibly Say, Engagement, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, Kidnapping, M/M, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-20
Updated: 2012-08-20
Packaged: 2017-11-12 13:44:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/491706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasminetea/pseuds/jasminetea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Prince Erik is captured by the evil sorcerer Sebastian after breaking his engagement with Prince Charles, Prince Charles must begin a life-long quest to regain and rescue the man he loves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	what else is there

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted for [this prompt](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/5215.html?thread=5147743#t5147743) on the kink meme. Although this fic is complete, the WIP thread is [here](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/4172.html?thread=10068044#t10068044). 
> 
> Please note this contains references to past childhood abuse.

“Your thoughts are so beautiful,” Charles says.

 

When they were younger, Charles had promised never to read his mind without permission. 

 

“You think loudly,” Charles continues.  Erik pushes aside the confusion and hurt.  This is not the time to have this conversation, not when they’re dancing so perfectly together, each of their steps exactly where they should, and the thrill of having his hands on Charles and Charles’ on his body is so right.  But there is something else he must ask.

 

Perhaps Erik is a romantic like his mother after all.  “What else?”

 

Charles looks up at him with genuine surprise in his blue eyes.  “What do you mean?”

 

“Is the fact my mind is different than everyone else’s all that matters?”

 

“What else is there?  Think of what that means!  What makes it that way, what does this mean for other mutants?  What if we – ” 

 

Erik knows when Charles gets like this, cheeks flushed and eyes bright with excitement, he will talk and talk.  Erik stops dancing and releases Charles.

 

Charles stops talking.  “Erik?  Erik, what’s wrong?  I – ”

 

Erik shakes his head.  “I am calling off this engagement.”  And Erik loves him, he really does, but that alone is not enough to build a life upon.

 

 

 

Erik’s mother is unusually quiet in carriage, and Erik is glad when they stop abruptly.  Perhaps he will get a chance to get out of this contraption and _breathe_.

 

He’s about to get out when his mother inhales sharply and grabs his elbow.  “Don’t,” she says, and there is something frightening in her eyes.

 

But then the earth is rumbling, the metal is shrieking in horror, and Erik has never felt the metal sing like this before and what in the world is –

 

Everything moves quickly: there are screams; the world rocks; he’s on the ground; there’s something wet on top of him.  He opens his eyes, and there is a man kicking his mother’s body off of him.

 

“Why, hello, little Erik,” the man says.

 

And Erik remembers this man, the man who had taken him down below the castle and done things to him and had said he couldn’t speak of what’d been done.

 

Erik tries to draw the remaining bits of metal to him, he doesn’t know what he’ll do with them, but he can’t leave himself vulnerable to this man.  Something goes awry and the metal doesn’t come, it just keeps screaming.

 

“We’ll have none of that,” Sebastian Shaw tuts.  “But enough of that.”  He steps closer to Erik’s body and Erik wishes he could move, stand, anything but lay still, but his body won’t move.

 

“I have a proposal for you,” Shaw continues as if this is merely conversation over tea.  “Actually, I quite literally have one.”  He kneels down next to Erik in the mud, entirely uncaring of the cold rain and mud.  His fingers skim Erik’s face and he gently cups his neck.  “Marry me.”

 

Erik whimpers, remembering what this man has done.  “Fuck you,” he manages past the terror lodged in his throat.

 

Shaw smiles happy.  “Pity that, I suppose I’ll just have to woo you now won’t I?”  His hand closes around Erik’s throat, and he squeezes.

 

Erik doesn’t even remember gasping for air.

 

 

 

Charles is absolutely certain Erik is still alive.  His elder sister doesn’t believe him.

 

“Charles,” she says with eyes unusually soft, “sometimes our minds play tricks on us in our grief.”

 

He shakes his head.  “No, Emma, I _know_.”

 

And he does.  Erik is alive and something is not _right_.  Charles had never slipped all the way into Erik’s mind, but their years together ensured a sort of sympathy that allows Charles to merely reach out with his mind and know where Erik was.

 

That connection is gone now, and it frightens and disorients Charles.  His telepathy is powerful, more than his sister's ever was before she lost it, and that the one person who matters most is out of his reach destroys him.

 

Erik’s mind comes in and out of focus.  For long stretches of time there is nothing but silence, and then there’s something from him, something like static.  Charles doesn’t know what this means, but that Erik is alive is enough for him.

 

Charles won’t give up until he finds him.

**Author's Note:**

> Additional notes about this AU can be found [here](http://xmen-firstkink.livejournal.com/5215.html?thread=10187615#t10187615). If it strikes your fancy, feel free to continue this fic.


End file.
